Meatless Monday

I am not one to jump on bandwagons when it comes to anything so please don't think that I eat meatless every Monday and tacos every Tuesday. I eat what I feel like having on any given day, usually in way too large of a serving. However, I had a vegetarian friend visiting this weekend and I wanted to be sure to have something yummy for her to eat while she was here. I didn't want to do pasta as that would have been too heavy for lunch and salads would be too light. It's way too cold here for light eating. We wanted something hearty and warm but not heavy so I decided on a vegetarian chili. It was fantastic and so easy to make. This is a very versatile recipe so add/omit to accommodate your tastes. Here is how it went down.

Erika's Vegetarian Chili

2 Tbs oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 red pepper, roasted, peeled, and chopped (can use jarred roasted red peppers, I did)
2 ears corn, kernels cut off (can sub with 1 cup frozen corn)
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 can diced green chilies
2 cans diced tomatoes with chilies (Rotel or equivalent, I used a Kuners brand variety - Diced tomatoes with Peppers with chili spices)
1 can black beans (I used Kuners brand again - Black beans with jalapenos and lime)
1 Cup red lentils
1 box vegetable broth
2 Tbs cumin
2 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs oregano
1 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste

In a large sauce pan saute onion, garlic, celery, carrots, until softened. Add remaining ingredients and let simmer until cooked through and lentils have broken down (red lentils will do this fairly quickly). Adjust seasonings to taste. If the chili is too thin you can add tomato paste by the tablespoon until you reach desired consistency. To add heat add cayenne pepper and/or diced fresh jalapeno/serrano peppers to taste. You can eat this the day you make it but I personally think it tastes better the next day. I like to serve it with shredded cheddar, sour cream, diced avocado, and crushed tortilla chips. Omit the dairy if you want to keep it vegan.

On a side note - I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, Kuner's products for southwest style recipes. Their seasoned canned goods are fantastic and if you don't cook a lot or don't want to have to buy seasonings that you may not use much you don't have to - they take care of most of that for you right out of the can.

Fighting the Chill

Late winter/early spring in New England is the total PITS! It is by far my least favorite time of year. Cold and damp and depressing. I even missed the syrup window this year so I don't even have that to perk me up. Just a bunch of mud, dead worms and stir crazy, cooped up dogs to contend with. My husband has also seemed to have developed the uncanny ability to catch every germ in town. So, to keep myself busy, repel the dreary cold and help sooth upset tummy's, I have brought forth more soup for you! This particular recipe is a 2 day process for me but you can certainly shorten it up if you want. You don't need an instant pot either. On a conventional stove top, you would just need to cook part 1 low and slow for about 6-8 hours and your results would be similar. You can make this soup in a single day as part 2 comes together quickly. I break it up into a 2-day process to make it easier on myself and give the flavors time to meld.

Erika's Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup

Ingredients

Part 1

4 T butter

2 onions, sliced

1, 3-4 pound beef roast (chuck, pot, rump, bottom – you’re going to be cooking the shit out of it so any cut will do but leaner cuts will have stringier results)

1 can coca-cola (does wonders to tenderize)

¼ C soy sauce

2-3 gloves garlic

1 envelope onion soup mix (can omit or just add a bouillion cube and some onion powder to substitute. Sometimes, I will add an envelope of good seasons Italian dressing as a substitute, too)

Few shakes Worcestershire sauce

(Sometimes I also add marrow bones to up the flavor and give my dogs a treat to chew on for later)

Saute onions and butter in instant pot until slightly browned

Add meat and remaining ingredients

Add lid a pressure cook for 1 hour. Let decompress naturally and cool, skim fat. For tougher cuts of meat you can extend the pressure cooking time, as needed.

Part 2

2 T oil

2-3 stalks celery chopped fine

2-3 carrots chopped fine

1 box beef broth

Aprox. 1 cup barley

2 Tbs molasses (optional)

In a large sauce pot saute carrots and celery in oil until softened

Remove meat from instant pot and, if using a roast, break up the meat up into soup-sized pieces

Add liquid from instant pot (you can pour it through a sieve if there are lots of gross fatty bits in it)

Add beef broth and bring to a boil

Reduce to a simmer and add barley

Simmer until barley is cooked. Add molasses if desired (I like the flavor it gives)